The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty
by Danielle Anderson
Summary: After Voldemort's defeat, Snape falls for Hermione but she rejects him. Will the impossible become possible? Chapter 20 uploaded!
1. The journey to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: The usual. Now onto the story.

A/N: This story contains a gay relationship between Messrs. Moony and Padfoot ;).

Hermione looked wistfully out of the window of her compartment in the train. It was a sunny September afternoon but it wasn't too hot. The cool wind ruffled her hair as she looked up at the blue sky to watch birds soar beneath the clouds. She sighed. She wished she could be as carefree as they could. 

She looked behind her to see Harry and Ron munching on the chocolate frogs they'd bought for lunch on the train but she wasn't hungry. They were in their seventh year now and Harry was the Quidditch captain whereas Ron was the new Keeper. They were discussing new ways on how to beat Slytherin to the Quidditch Cup. She moved to look out of the window again.

_He's gone, she thought, __brooding won't bring him back. She felt someone tap her shoulder from behind; it was Harry holding out a chocolate frog to her and his green eyes were wide with concern._

"Are you all right, Hermione?" he asked. "You haven't eaten anything on the train."

"And you're awfully quiet," added Ron.

Hermione sighed. "I'm not hungry," she said. She didn't feel like talking, either.

"Is it about that Victor Krum again?" said Ron, hitting the nail on the head. When she was silent, he knew he was right. "Look, Hermione," he said. "Obviously that Krum doesn't know what you're worth. You should be over him by now. And honestly, it's his loss."

"Not to mention that he's a coward as well." Harry rolled his eyes. They exchanged a knowing look. Only two months ago, right after they'd finished their sixth year, they'd engaged in a fierce war against Lord Voldemort himself.

And won.

The war had affected everyone in many ways. Lucius Malfoy was now in Azkaban, while most of the other Death Eaters were…well…dead. Sirius Black's name had been cleared and Remus Lupin had come back to Hogwarts. It had taken a while for Harry to digest the fact that Lupin and Sirius were lovers, now that he was living with them. 

But most surprising of all, was the fact that Draco Malfoy had joined their side during the war. They were all expecting a change of attitude from him, now that the term was going to start. 

During the war, Victor had wimped out and dumped Hermione, saying that he was a lot older than she was and that perhaps they should start seeing other people. Ron and Harry were both aware of how much Hermione had loved Krum but they both felt that she could do a lot better and that sooner or later, she would find someone who would respect and love her for who she was. After all, Hermione (and Professor Snape) had played an important role in the defeating Voldemort. 

Many others (namely Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her friends, along with Lestat) had also helped them. Dumbledore's idea had been to reach out to the vampires before Voldemort did. And the plan had worked.

Harry put a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder and handed her the chocolate frog. "Eat," he said gently. "Chocolate helps relieve depression."

Hermione managed a little smile as she took a bite. Harry and Ron had always been there for her and she didn't know what she would do without them. 

She hadn't been able to concentrate on anything since Victor had dumped her – which wasn't like her at all. _I need to get over this. She didn't realize that she'd said it aloud until Ron added, "We'll help you."_

After a moment's silence, she spoke. "You must be excited about the fact that we'll be leaving Hogwarts in a year's time."

Ron said, "Yeah, we are. Although we're not too sure about you." There was a twinkle in his eyes.

She frowned, strands of her chocolate hair falling down her cheek. "What do you mean?"

"We thought that you might want to remain there as a teacher," said Harry. "Have you given it much thought? I mean, after all, you are Head Girl now and your grades are excellent."

Hermione thought for a moment, she was sure that the idea of her becoming a teacher had crossed her mind once or twice back in second year, but nevertheless it was an idea that was now long gone from her head. "No, I was thinking about going to the Unseen University to learn more magic. Or maybe even get a job in the Ministry."

Ron snorted. "Just like Percy. Thank God, he can afford his own place now that he has a promotion. All his 'important talk' was killing me. Even Penelope was annoyed."

Percy had gotten married to his long-time girlfriend Penelope Clearwater of Ravenclaw, just last week and they were now living a few miles away from the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was excited about the fact that Ginny was now the only Gryfindor Prefect left in the school, that and she was now Harry's new girlfriend.

There was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal Remus and Sirius. They both had a little smile on their faces, and no one noticed that they were holding each other's hand, beneath the darkness of Sirius's robes. "Mind if we join you?" he asked. 

For a moment, everyone was quiet, unsure of what to say. Then, Remus, looking at Hermione, said gently, "Still thinking about Victor Krum, are you?"

Sirius sighed, knowing the girl had thought of nothing else since the breakup. "There will be other men, Hermione. Take it from me."

At this, Hermione managed a wan smile and finished off the rest of her chocolate. "I wonder what this term will be like," said Ron. "You know not having any evil to defeat or anything." Harry smiled at him and Hermione simply shook her head. 

"Well, one thing's for sure," said Remus, taking a seat next to Sirius who was sitting next to Harry, "It's going to be…different."

They arrived in Hogwarts a few hours later. Hagrid was there to meet them all at the station, along with Fang. The enormous giant wasted no time hurrying over to the Gryfindor gang and hugging them tightly in his huge arms. "Good ter see yeh all," he said. "Professor Dumbledore's waiting at the castle ter have a word with yeh."

Hermione looked to find Draco Malfoy standing a few feet away from them, with Crabbe and Goyle. At another time, he would have been insulting her friends but it was just as Remus had said it would be. Different.

Draco caught Harry's eye and they exchanged a silent greeting. She took a deep breath. Perhaps the new environment would help her take her mind off Victor and enable her to concentrate on her studies.

They were all dressed in their school robes, ready for the new year as they climbed into their carriages to be taken to the castle.


	2. The beginning of the new term

Hermione patiently sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with her friends. The Sorting was over with Luanna O'Hara becoming a Slytherin. Despite her anticipations, she couldn't help but wonder what seventh year with the Slytherins would be like. Professor Dumbledore had not revealed the fact that Harry was the 'other' heir of Slytherin for the boy's safety. 

Professor Dumbledore stood as Luanna O'Hara sat at the Slytherin table with Draco Malfoy and his gang. His voice was feeble bit it effortlessly filled the Great Hall.

"Now that the Sorting ceremony is over," said he, "I would like to announce the arrival of a new teacher to our staff - Professor Sirius Black."

Almost everyone clapped to welcome the new teacher and Dumbledore went on. "He will be an assistant to Professor Lupin."

Only Harry, his friends and the teachers knew what that meant. Sirius would fill in for Lupin when it was 'that time of the month.'

Dumbledore continued, "I would also like to announce the introduction of a short course in Magical Fine Arts this year at Hogwarts. However this course is open to only the Sixth-years and Seventh-years and it will be taught by our very own Professor Snape."

The Slytherins cheered while Ron looked at Harry incredulously. "Snape's gonna teach Fine Arts?"

"Not just any Fine Arts," said Dumbledore, who'd heard him. "Magical Fine Arts." He changed the subject. "Now, I'm sure you'll all agree with me when I say that the war against Lord Voldemort has affected us all. It will bring about some new changes here. I must ask you all to be kinder and more considerate towards one another…"

Hermione let her eyes wander during this speech – she'd heard it personally from him before. Everyone was listening to Albus Dumbledore in rapt attention as he went on about verbal abuse towards Muggleborn witches and warlocks (Malfoy's face fell at this for some reason) and she set her gaze on the High Table. All the teachers were looking at the Headmaster, even Sirius, who was never able to pay attention to something for too long.

Except Snape.

He, like the rest of the staff, wore his best robes (black, as usual) and he seemed very agitated. Was it just her imagination or was he looking at their direction more oftener than usual? His black eyes met hers and he looked away. She frowned but she was amused at the same time. Perhaps Snape was upset about the fact that heir of Slytherin was in Gryffindor and that made her manage a little smile.

It was no secret that Snape hated all Gryffindors, especially Harry. The former took every opportunity to deduct marks from Gryffindor house and his hatred of Harry had induced him to be nasty to Ron and Hermione as well. But hopefully that would change this year. Or maybe she was being too optimistic. 

Despite her dislike of Snape, she had to admit, he was a brilliant Potions master. She'd learned that during the summer vacation. Although the two of them had worked side by side, she had hardly been able to learn anything about him. He'd kept mostly to himself but had managed to snap at her when she did something wrong and help her when she needed to be helped. She'd expected him to go a bit more easier on her; he'd become harsher instead. 

Perhaps some things could not be changed. 

Good thing all these thoughts had managed to keep Viktor out of her head. 

Dumbledore at last came to the end of his speech and he concluded by saying, "And now, let the feast begin."

The empty plates before them filled with the most delicious food. They all began to eat hungrily.

"I don't think the food has ever been better," said Ron with his mouth full of minced meat. "The house-elves must be particularly happy this year, even without sick-leaves and pensions," he added with a wink. Both he and Harry smiled, reminded of the time when Hermione had tried to stand up for house-elves' rights.

They expected Hermione to hold up her chin and say something bold. Instead, she looked down sadly and said in a tight voice, "Don't remind me – I met Viktor that year."

There was an awkward silence. Then Ron said, "I'm sorry, Hermione."

She took a deep breath and nodded, having suddenly lost her appetite. She felt an acute pain in her heart and forced herself to finish her meal, in silence. As she sipped her pumpkin juice, she had an uneasy feeling that she was being watched. Annoyed and nervous, she looked up – only to find Snape avert his gaze.

Her eyebrows knitted in disapproval. What the hell was wrong with the Potions master? It was almost as if he couldn't keep his eyes to himself.

An amusing thought.

After dinner, each perfect lead their house to their dormitories. Hermione had to admit that Ginny was doing a fine job. "Keep up, everyone," she said, her gaze lingering on Harry and they exchanged a secret, affectionate look. The two had started dating only last year but they were very close. Ron seemed to be okay with it but he'd made in clear to Harry that he wouldn't tolerate the latter disrespecting his sister – not that Harry ever would, of course.

The Gryffindors came to a halt before the Fat Lady's portrait. "Password?" she prompted.

Neville Longbottom stepped forward to hear Ginny clearly, hoping that the password wasn't very long for his sake.

"Mangy cur," said Ginny and they entered the common room after the portrait swung aside.

While Ginny spoke to the newcomers, Hermione went to girls' dormitory, instead of hanging around to chat with Ron and Harry (or Parvati and Lavender, for that matter). When asked to stay, she said she was tired – which was not entirely true.

Long after everyone had fallen asleep, she lay awake in her bed, tossing and turning restlessly, looking up at the ceiling. Her cheeks were damp with tears. _Oh, Viktor, _she thought as she wept to herself. _Oh, Viktor, I loved you so much, how could you do this to me?_


	3. Potions class

Classes were normal – except for the fact at the beginning, their Professors would launch into a speech about Voldemort and Hermione was getting sick of that. Nevertheless, she felt that her life was going back to normal. She would still smile and talk to everyone and she was able to concentrate on something other than Viktor Krum. But life had become a charade for her, in a way. Only God knew how intense the pain was in her heart.

One morning, she was doing her Arithmancy homework in the library when Ginny came in.

"Hi," said the young redhead shyly. "Is it all right if I sit down?"

"Sure," Hermione smiled and put away her books.

"Um…I could leave if I'm disturbing you."

"Oh, no; not at all. I need a break myself."

Ginny returned Hermione's smile and sat beside her. They were silent for a minute. Then Hermione asked, "Where's Harry?"

"Oh, he's off to study Divination with Ron," replied Ginny. "I take it that you don't have Divination?"

"I had it but then I dropped it. I didn't want to waste my time trying to tell fortunes from tea leaves and crystal balls."

The two girls giggled; Ginny said, "Yeah, I know. Professor Trelawney is a bit weird. But you have to give her credit for that one authentic prediction she made – the one about Voldemort's return."

"Only one," protested Hermione. She eyed Ginny's Prefect badge. "You must be really proud."

"Oh, of this?" Ginny looked at her badge. "Sure, why not?"

Hermione smiled wanly. Once upon a time, she would have done just about anything to become the prefect. How come she'd changed so much in two months?

She changed the subject. "It's Thursday today, isn't it?"

"Yeah," said Ginny. She frowned when she saw Hermione sigh. "Why, what's the matter?"

"Nothing. It's just that…" Hermione sighed again. "I have a Potions class this afternoon with the Slytherins."

"I know what that can be like," Ginny grumbled. "I wonder how they would react if they knew that Harry is Salazar Slytherin's descendant."

* * *

Harry, Ron and Hermione went down to the dungeons after lunch. Many a time she wondered how the Slytherins managed to spend all their time there. And why would a school need dungeons? 

"Honest to God, Harry, sometimes I wonder why Professor Trelawney's managed to keep her job at Hogwarts," complained Ron. "She's such a…_fraud_!"

"I know," said Harry. "Remember the time when she thought that I was born in mid-winter?"

Hermione smiled triumphantly. "I'm glad I dropped Divinations," she said.

"Oh, shut up, Hermione," said Ron. "The last thing we need is you gloating at our misery."

They arrived at the classroom but decided not to enter since their class wouldn't start for another ten minutes. However, many Slytherins had already taken their seats inside.

"Hey, look," Ron pointed at a large piece of parchment on the wall. "It's the timetable for the Magical Fine Arts classes."

Harry and Hermione eyed the timetable and then he said, "Magical Fine Arts sounds interesting. I wouldn't mind learning how to make portraits move."

"Thinking of joining, Potter?" sneered a voice from behind. It was Draco Malfoy and he was alone.

"I must tell you, you'd feel pretty much out of place," he continued. "After all, the class is completely composed of Slytherins. And your presence would be most unwelcome, scarface."

_Why am I not surprised that he hasn't really changed?_ thought Hermione. She looked fearfully at Harry, wondering is he might return Draco's insult. Instead, Harry smiled a bit and spoke calmly. "Tut tut tut," he said, eye to eye with the blond boy. "I'd expect some more respect from you, Malfoy. I don't see why I should annoy them – I am, after all, the heir of Slytherin."

Draco turned white. Unable to say anything, he just thrust past them and entered the classroom to join Crabbe and Goyle, not to mention Pansy Parkinson.

Ron glowed. "Way to go, Harry," he said, impressed.

"Changed or not," said Harry, determined. "I'm not gonna take any crap from Malfoy this year."

Hermione, however, frowned. "I don't think you should've said that Harry," she told him. "I mean, what if Malfoy spreads the news all over the school or something?"

They were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't notice it was time for class until a soft, malevolent voice said behind them, "Now what are you three doing outside when the class is about to start?"

The three Gryffindors looked up to find Snape sneering at them, his black eyes glittering maliciously.

"Get inside," he snapped before they could say anything. "And fifteen points from Gryffindor."

They entered the classroom and took their seats, sulking. Snape took his place in front of everyone behind his desk. After the roll-calling, he got directly to the point, instead of launching into some boring, overrated lecture about Voldemort's defeat. 

"Today, we are going to whip up a Dreamless Sleeping Potion," he announced, briefly resting his eyes on Hermione's, making her uncomfortable. She noticed that his fingers were moving restlessly. 

Snape moved to write down the ingredients on the blackboard and she took her usual place beside Neville. After giving out instructions, Snape said, "And for once in your life, Longbottom, I would like to see you brew a decent potion on your own, without Miss Granger hissing instructions in your ear."

Neville and Hermione flushed. Everyone knew that Neville's worst subject was Potions and his fear of Snape made things even worse. Snape, on the other hand, did nothing much to help – he seemed to happy with bullying the young boy.

As everyone set to work, Snape began to pace the classroom and he paused from time to time, to sneer at the Gryffindors' work. He made a waspish remark as Dean Thomas' potion was too thick. But Hermione was too busy helping Neville to notice anything.

"First you have to put in the frog intestines," she whispered to him. "Let them boil for a couple of minutes. Then put in the orange peel…"

"Is there anything you would like to share with the rest of the class, Miss Granger?" said a soft, sharp voice from behind. She and Neville froze.

"No, sir, I…" she began but he interrupted.

"I'm warning you, Miss Granger," said Snape in a soft, dangerous voice. "I want Longbottom to brew this potion by himself."

"Sorry, sir," Hermione blushed furiously. Neville began to tremble.

Snape paused before he added, "If I catch you hissing instructions in his ear again, you will be very sorry indeed."

As he walked away, she noticed that his long fingers were twitching. And his sudden sternness surprised her. Evidently, his dislike towards her had increased during the holidays and he had reached new levels of vindictiveness.

The rest of the class went on in silence. Hermione was unable to help Neville, partly because Snape had scolded her and partly because he was keeping an eye on her. And all the while, his fingers twitched.

At the end of the class, Snape told them to test their potions tonight and write a three-foot report on Sleeping Potions for next week. "Class dismissed."

Hermione joined Ron and Harry outside. She would have a talk with Neville later.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked curiously, referring to the incident with Snape.

"I have no idea," she answered. "Snape's never been like this before. He's never objected to my helping Neville – except for once during our third year." She took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. "And all the while…every time he looks at me, his fingers twitch! Almost as if he wants to strangle me!"

Right at that moment, Snape had come out, in time to hear Hermione's angry words, unnoticed by them and he looked at her longingly. 

_Ah, Miss Granger, if you only knew._


	4. The Potions Master's Dilemma

Thanks for the reviews everyone :). No, Snape doesn't hate Hermione, as you will read in this chapter. And she does reject him at first, but the she opens her eyes. Enjoy.

He'd been in love with her ever since she'd thrown up all over his robes after Viktor had broken up with her. He'd been half-angry, half-pleased when Hermione had been dumped by her long-time boyfriend – angry, because the Bulgarian Seeker had wounded his beloved and pleased, since he couldn't stand to see her with another man.

But he didn't have a chance. He knew that it was forbidden to pursue a relationship with a student. Besides, even if she weren't his student, Snape didn't stand a chance because he knew very well that all Gryffindors, not to mention Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs - no reason why she should be an exception) hated him. It was his own fault, but he really had no intention of mending his ways.

His heart had skipped a beat - no pounded, when he'd seen Hermione outside the Potions classroom. At times, he cursed himself for feeling like an immature schoolboy. He didn't even trust himself to be near her anymore. When he'd stood so close to her this afternoon, it'd taken all his strength to stop himself from pulling her into her arms and ravishing her soft, pink mouth. He longed to run his fingers through her bushy brown hair. Never mind the fact that she wasn't as beautiful as all the other women he'd been with. Never mind the fact that she was bossy, and an insufferable know-it-all, as he'd once called her. All he knew was that right now he _wanted_ her.

He'd tried to stop himself from feeling this way about one his students. He knew it would never work out between them, but he couldn't help it – he was head over heels in love with Hermione Granger.

Sometimes, Snape would feel so angry with her, angry that she could make him feel this way without even trying. When Viktor had left, Hermione was devastated so much that she burst into tears in front of Snape. He'd wanted to hold her in his arms, kiss her face and comfort her. Instead, he just turned away from her, disgusted with himself.

Sometimes, he came so close to approaching her and telling her how he felt. How would she react? Perhaps she would stare at him blankly. Perhaps she would run away. Perhaps she would call him a pervert. Perhaps…

He was surprisingly good at concealing his emotions. 

At first he'd thought it was just an infatuation and that the emotions would just go away if he spent some time apart from her.

Fat chance.

The feelings had just become stronger. His love for her often overwhelmed him to the point of keeping him awake night after night, trapped in this delightful madness.

And now as he stood a few feet away from her, listening to her complain about him, Snape wondered what he ought to do. He completely desired her good opinion, but he wasn't about to go out of his way and start being nice to her and her friends. He was tempted to give her detention, but decided not to - he didn't trust himself to be alone with her.

The Gryffindors wrapped up their conversation and turned to leave – only to find themselves face to face with a very angry-looking Snape. He scowled at them. "Five points from Gryffindor," he said, "for standing unnecessarily outside the classroom."

Then he spun around and walked away, his black robes billowing behind him.

He went directly to the staff room – the place he went to when he wanted to think. Luckily the room was empty; he took a seat on his favorite arm-chair, thinking about what Hermione had said.

He hadn't meant to be so hard on her, but he didn't like it whenever his students disobeyed him.

But then again, he had never been in love with a student before.


	5. Saturday morning

_Oh, God, no, not Harry! Please, I'll anything!_

_Stand aside, you silly girl._

And then, there was screaming.

Harry woke up with a start, in cold sweat. His heart was racing with fear. He took several deep breaths and wiped the sweat off his brow. _It's just a dream, he thought to himself. _

_It's just a dream._

But the images were so real.

Ron slept beside him, soundly and from the expression on his face, Harry knew that he wasn't the only one having nightmares.

However, they were probably not as bad as Harry's.

One might think that Harry's life was filled with happiness now that Voldemort was dead. It was Harry who had killed the Dark Lord with the _Avada Kedavra curse. Voldemort's death had satisfied him; he'd finally avenged his parents' deaths._

But even revenge could not take away the nightmares.

He took another deep breath and laid back on the bed, deciding to brew some more Dreamless Sleeping Potion tomorrow, if necessity arose.

Truthfully, he was lost, confounded. Only last month, he'd found out that Salazar Slytherin was his ancestor – which explained why he was a Parselmouth and why Tom Riddle had tried to kill him in the first place. It disturbed him to know that he was related to Slytherin himself – or Voldemort, for that matter.

But how had the heir of Slytherin ended up in Gryffindor?

Even Dumbledore hadn't been able to give a satisfactory reply to that.

_I've been under a lot of pressure lately, thought Harry and he made a mental note to visit Remus and Sirius on Saturday morning._

He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

Hermione wanted to go to the library after breakfast since she wanted to complete her Potions essay, but her friends wouldn't let her.

"Come on," said Ron, "it's Saturday morning."

"You have plenty of time to finish your homework," Harry piped in. "Besides, I feel bored and suffocated, just staying here, doing nothing at all."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you do," she said crossly. "After all, nobody's tried to kill you for the past few weeks. The stress must be overwhelming."

In the end, however, she was persuaded. They knew, with the help of the Marauder's Map, where the teachers' living quarters were. On their way there, they met Ginny.

"Oh, hello," smiled Harry and again, there was that secret look between him and his girlfriend. Hermione couldn't help feeling being envious. "And where are you off to?"

"I'm supposed to meet my friends near the lake," Ginny replied. "I'll talk to you at lunch." They shared a brief kiss which reminded Hermione of Viktor. Damn.

Sirius was outside the apartment he shared with Lupin when he saw the three Gryffindors hurrying towards him. His handsome face lit up with a smile. He'd shortened his black hair and he looked much better now that he was living a normal life again.

"Ah, what are you three doing here?" He inquired.

"We just wanted to pay you a little visit," said Harry. "Did we catch you at a bad time?"

"Not at all," Harry's godfather smiled. "I was just about to get some coffee for Remus and me. Would you like some?"

Just then, several feet away from them, a door opened creakily. They looked behind to find Snape emerging from his living quarters. He froze when he saw them. Then he scowled and walked away.

Sirius looked amused.

"He's been like that ever since you and Professor Lupin came back, hasn't he?" said Ron with a little smile.

"Basically, yes," replied Sirius. "Look, why don't you go inside?" He opened the door for them. "I'm sure Remus could use some company."

* * *

Hermione! What was she doing here?

_Oh, that's easy! Snape thought to himself as he walked away. She and her friends Potter and Weasely had come to visit Black and Lupin._

He knew of their friendship with the two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. It wasn't his place to disapprove, but he couldn't help feeling a bit…_jealous. _

_Oh, stop dreaming, Severus! He thought angrily. Hermione would never look at him that way. __Might as well wish for immortality._

He turned to the left and came face to face with the Headmaster.

"Ah, Severus," smiled Dumbledore. "I was just on my way to see you. I assume that you are going to the Magical Fine Arts class?"

"Yes," replied Snape, fighting a sudden urge to run back and try to catch some more glimpses of Hermione.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that we are trying to fit in that class within the weekdays instead of weekends. I hope the current timetable is not inconvenient for you."

"Of course not, Headmaster" the younger man replied.

"I see that many students have signed up for the course," Dumbledore continued.

"All Slytherins, I'm afraid."

Dumbledore laughed. "Just give the others some more time, Severus, I'm sure they'll want to join soon. Aren't you excited?"

"Hardly," said Snape dryly. The older man laughed again. "Well, good luck." He was gone.

Snape started towards the dungeons, where the class would take place, thinking of Dumbledore's words.

He wished with all his heart that Hermione would join, though chances were slim. She was probably busy with all her subjects. He knew how she'd used a time-turner during her third year to attend all her classes but thankfully, she didn't need one anymore.

Snape, for the first time in his life, wished that he's at least tried to be fair to all of his students. Perhaps then, Hermione wouldn't dislike him so much.

Truly, it was his own fault.


	6. Harry's new powers

"Something's been bothering you, Harry, I can see it in your eyes," said Lupin. "Come on, tell me what it is and I'll try to help."

They were sitting near the window in the living-room, drinking coffee which Sirius had brought.

Harry frowned. "I'm not sure," he said. "I've been feeling a bit weird lately. Almost as if I'm rippling with energy."

Sirius looked concerned. "How long have you been feeling like this?"

"Ever since I drank from Lestat."

During the way, at one point, Voldemort had mortally injured Harry. Fawkes was not there to help him. But Lestat was.

Lestat had given Harry his powerful vampire blood so that the Boy who Lived could keep on living.

Lupin appeared to be deep in thought. Ron was white with terror. Hermione was perplexed. After a moment of awkward silence, Lupin asked, "What kind of experiences are you having exactly?"

"I'm not sure," said Harry, looking doubtful. "At times, I can pick up a thought from people around me. I can't always do it. Then once, two days ago, I was sitting alone near the lake and looking at a leaf on the ground, wondering what it would be like if it were on fire. And then…it caught fire. And I hadn't even put a spell on it!"

Hermione bit her lip. "This has something to do with Lestat's blood, hasn't it?" she said.

"Possibly," said Lupin. "Vampires of Lestat's species have certain telepathic abilities. They can read minds, are telekinetic and can cause spontaneous combustion. Their blood also has certain healing properties." He looked at Harry. "Did Lestat drink from you?"

"I don't think so," said Harry.

Ron spoke up. "I remember seeing Lestat lick the blood off Harry's wounds," he said.

"Have you been thinking about Lestat lately?" asked Sirius.

"No," said Harry quickly. The he added tentatively: "Well, sometimes, I think of him. I can actually feel his presence, almost as if he were here at Hogwarts."

"That explains it!" Hermione said excitedly. "I read that when vampires and humans exchange blood, it creates a certain bond between them!"

This information did not make Harry feel any better. "Is that a bad thing?" he asked tentatively.

Remus frowned. "Probably not; many witches and warlocks have drunk from vampires to enhance their powers. I think that you are just becoming a greater wizard."

"Wicked," grinned Ron, looking impressed.

"I think we should try to find out what else Harry can do with his new powers," said Sirius wisely. "Maybe it's a good sign of you becoming stronger; but we need to find out a way to help you use your powers, if necessary, control them."

* * *

Magical Fine Arts wasn't as interesting as it sounded. It mostly consisted of having to sit in front of an image for long hours, trying to sketch or paint it with special pencils and colors.

Snape stood in the corner while the students concentrated on painting the flower vase before them. If all went well, then the painted would show the flowers moving in the vase. Simple things first.

Snape considered himself a great artist (and sculptor). He was proud of the fact that he'd painted most of the moving pictures at Hogwarts. Some might find it amusing but few knew that as a matter of fact, he'd painted the Fat Lady for Gryffindor house.

Painting and sculpting were his hobbies (next to making Potions, of course). But right now, even though he was teaching a class the only thing on his mind was Hermione.

Sometimes he wondered how she'd managed to bewitch him thus. Usually he was in perfect control of himself but when he was with Hermione, that was a different story. He absently complimented Malfoy's work, wishing that Hermione was taking Magical Fine Arts. Damn.

Was there any way he could talk her into it? _Severus, you cannot even be considering this!_ But the temptation was far too great. _Mind your own business._

Here he was, teaching a class on a Saturday morning when all he wanted to do was sit next to Hermione, drape his arms around her and listen to her heartbeat.

"Try to put some more color to the flowers, Miss Parkinson," said Snape. He shut his eyes briefly, trying to imagine what it would be like to have Hermione here right now. He had no doubt she would do well in Magical Fine Arts, had she signed up for it.

He'd often seen her upset during class or at mealtimes, or in the corridor with Potter and Weasely and he guessed that she wasn't over Viktor Krum yet.

From experience, he knew that first love was something one could not forget so easily. But sooner or later, Hermione would have to get over Krum and move on with her love-life. She was sweet, intelligent and accomplished and no doubt, better men would notice her. She would meet a wonderful, worthy man, get married, raise a family, have a career at the same time and…oh, he was making himself jealous by thinking all this!

_One more year, Severus. One more year and she'll be gone and your life will be much better._

But how could he live without her?


	7. In the hallway

Thanks for the reviews and I thank my beta-readers as well :). I guess Hermione will join MFA but that will take a while. Yes, of course, Harry is the one with new powers! After all, the series is _Harry Potter_! Anyway, enjoy this chapter. And I'll let you in on a little secret: The fun will start soon. And I mean real soon ;).

When Hermione returned to the girls' dormitory from the teachers' living quarters, she found Parvati and Lavender sitting on her bed, talking. Apparently, Parvati had got a new boyfriend – one Ernest Aiho, who was a seventh year Ravenclaw.

Hermione knew Ernest. He was the Chaser of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. They'd beaten Gryffindor last term, though that didn't matter now.

The news of Parvati's getting a new boyfriend brought back old memories for Hermione. She tried not to think about Viktor, but in vain.

Not wishing to hear about how passionately Ernest and Parvati had made out the previous evening, Hermione slipped out of the girls' dormitory before the two girls noticed her.

She knew that Ron and Harry were off paying a visit to Hagrid and she hadn't accompanied them as she hadn't felt like it. She thought of more important things (other than Viktor).

The idea that Harry might have some extraordinary powers was absolutely fascinating. Hermione knew he was special when they first met. 

She'd had the chance of meeting the infamous vampire Lestat. He was not a bad person, although he was scary in his own supernatural, vampiric way. However, she would always be grateful to him for helping Harry.

She wished that she could have had the chance to know Willow better, though. She'd been undoubtedly impressed by the 'wandless' magic she'd seen in Sunnydale and the scholar in her longed to learn more about this type of witchcraft.

Instead of listening to Lavender and Parvati, she changed her mind and decided to join Ron and Harry. Perhaps there was something to discover at their side; she was not looking as she walked on – the weather in September was pleasant and her birthday was next week and it took her mind off certain 'unpleasant' things. She wondered if there would be any surprise birthday party for her this year. Maybe Hagrid could give them some useful information.

The lovely September air, as well as thoughts of her birthday, hypnotized her senses as she walked onward toward Hagrid's Hut; making her oblivious to her surroundings. However, these helped her keep her mind off 'unpleasant' things. She was so deep in peaceful thoughts, that she suddenly bumped into someone. 

"Sorry," she looked up with an apologetic smile. Her smile faded when she saw that she had bumped into Snape.

Snape, very predictably, was not impressed by her apology. "Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger," said he, drawing himself to his full height, making her realize how tall he was. She'd expected him to just walk past her after that; to her surprise, he remained before her, looking down at her with a scowl on his swallow, gaunt face. 

"I'd expected you to be at the library or with your friends, Miss Granger," he looked at her disapprovingly, "instead of walking around in the hallways, bumping into professors."

Hermione was embarrassed. "Please, sir," she said, blushing, "it was unintentional."

Snape glared at her and nodded. Was she imagining things or did it seem like he wanted to tell her something?

Without another word, he was gone. And it made her think_, Is it just me or has Snape been acting really weird lately?_

* * *

The Magical Fine Arts class had ended ten minutes ago. Snape, relieved, had come up for some fresh air – not that he didn't like staying down at the dungeons, of course. But God only knew why his classes always had to take place there.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy teaching. It was just that he didn't like teaching on weekends. He was busy all week and he generally looked forward to Saturday and Sunday for some rest and recreation. He hoped that the routine would change soon.

He honestly hadn't expected to run into Hermione in the hallway, but he admitted to himself that coming upon her had been a pleasant surprise. Of course, he wouldn't let her know that!

He hadn't expected her to be indoors on a Saturday morning, especially when the weather was so lovely. When he paused to look out of the window, he saw Hermione walking towards Hagrid's cabin.

Her bushy brown hair flew in the wind and his heart leapt as she tucked a strand behind her ear. He couldn't suppress a sigh – the man was sincerely, deeply in love.

What would be like to run his fingers through her hair, to kiss her lips, to hold her in his arms? He felt an acute pain in his heart, wishing desperately that things were different. He watched until she disappeared into Hagrid's cabin and he felt his heart sink.

But why was he even thinking like this? _She is student, for God's sakes, Severus! Don't even think about it._

"Blast," he murmured. He was losing his mind.


	8. Christmas

Christmas came quickly that year. Everyone was so busy studying that they hadn't even noticed how quickly the term had passed. 

Hermione wasn't all that upset. Her birthday and Halloween had come and went without much fanfare, even though she received many presents for her birthday. But now it was Christmas at Hogwarts and with it came the memories of the Yule Ball from her fourth year at Hogwarts.

She'd considered going home during the holidays, but her parents had gone to Greece to visit her aunt and uncle. That wasn't such a bad thing as she still had friends staying at Hogwarts.

Ginny was doing her job pretty well. She was respected by everyone and things couldn't have been better between her and Harry. 

The Christmas feast was delicious, as usual. Hermione's favorite part – chocolate pudding for desert. She didn't know why, but chocolate always seemed to cheer her up.

She should have been over Viktor by now. It'd been about four months since they'd separated and he was still on her mind. With a heavy heart, she wondered how he was spending Christmas this year. Did he have a new girlfriend? Was he thinking of her?

The only problem was after the Christmas feast, when Harry, Ron and Hermione were on their way to the Gryffindor common room. They had had the misfortune of coming upon Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins in the hallway. And this was their least favorite part.

For the second time, Malfoy aimed a curse at Harry in the hallway, which, for the second time, affected Hermione instead. She felt a strange feeling in her legs, as if someone were deflating them. Within seconds, she found herself falling in Ron's arms.

"Hermione!" Ron caught her. "Are you all right?"

There was much commotion and the Slytherins took their chance to slip away. They almost succeeded.

"And what is all this noise about?" it was Snape's soft, malevolent voice and as he loomed over them like a dangerous vampire bat, the expression in his fathomless black eyes let them know what they were in big trouble.

Just like the last time, he asked Malfoy to explain – who told a bunch of outrageous lies:

"Potter and his friends took me by surprise, sir. He attacked me…"

"Liar!" yelled Potter and Ron would have lunged at Malfoy if Hermione had been able to stand on her own right then.

"In self-defense, I brought out my wand…" Draco continued.

"You dishonest bastard!" Ron glared angrily at the blond Slytherin.

Snape's eyes fell on Hermione; for a moment, he looked shocked and concerned (was she dreaming?). He then turned to Harry and Ron. "Ten points from Gryffindor," he said coldly. "For causing commotion in the hallway. Now take Miss Granger to the hospital wing."

As Harry and Ron carried Hermione to the hospital wing, she did something she had never done before – she insulted a teacher.

"I hate that bastard," she said under her breath.

"Tell me about it," grumbled Harry.

"I can't believe he bought Malfoy's story!" Ron fumed. "Absolutely typical of Snape. I mean, what else can you expect from the greasy-haired slimeball?"

* * *

Severus Snape disliked Christmas. That was probably because he didn't have any family to spend it with.

He hadn't seen his mother ever since he'd graduated from Hogwarts and his father had died when he was five. His mother had been with many men since then but right now, he didn't even want to think of it – it brought back too many memories…

_This won't hurt, baby._

_No, stop! Please!_

Snape shook his head to clear it. _It's all right now, he told himself mentally. __He can't touch you.._

He was only seven when it had happened but the awful memories were still fresh, even thirty years later.

As he entered his apartment, he realized that he had a terrible headache. It was all their fault.

And Hermione! What had Malfoy done to her? To be honest, Snape hadn't really bought Malfoy's story; he knew that Draco had started it all and he had half a mind to punish the boy when he'd seen Hermione slumping in Ron's arms. 

Then again, he had a reputation to maintain.

Poor Hermione! He sincerely hoped that nothing serious had happened to her. And what was Draco thinking when he picked a fight with Slytherin's heir? To be honest, Snape himself was afraid of Harry these days! Especially when he'd heard about the boy's powers which Black and Lupin had discussed during a staff meeting.

Snape longed to go and see Hermione at the hospital wing but he didn't have the courage – or rather, he didn't want to do something that was totally unlike him. He'd never involved himself in the lives of his students and he wasn't going to change that now.

_Hang Harry Potter! He thought angrily. He decided to whip up a potion to get rid of his headache. He quickly went to his potions lab and gathered the necessary ingredients._

While the potion boiled in the cauldron, Snape took a seat near the fire.

Hermione. If only he could see how she was now. He trusted that Madam Pomfrey was taking proper care of his beloved and he assumed that Malfoy had removed the bones from her legs; he made a silent vow that sooner or later, he would punish the boy somehow.

The potion was nearly done and he stood up to add some lemon juice. He always kept some lemon juice in a small glass vial since it was a necessary ingredient in many of the potions he usually prepared.

When the potion was finally ready, he took some in a goblet and gulped it down after a short while.

He stood still for a moment; there was a funny feeling in his stomach. He frowned at this.

Then he found himself walking towards the hospital wing.


	9. Christmas night with Snape

Hermione sat up, propped against the pillows in her hospital bed. She was tired, but still she couldn't fall asleep.

There was a severely painful feeling in her legs because of the Skele-Gro Madame Pomfrey had given her which made her legs impossible to move even if she tried. Luckily, Madame Pomfrey taught her a useful spell in case she had to use the restroom. Now she knew how Harry had felt! 

The fact that her legs had been boneless a few minutes ago scared the living daylights out of her. She hated not being able to hug her knees, something she did whenever she was alone and upset.

She hated Draco for doing this to her. She hated Viktor for ruining her life like this. But most of all, she hated Snape.

She knew that Snape was biased, but she'd had no idea of exactly how biased he was until this evening.

Dueling in the corridors was strictly forbidden; she'd expected Snape to punish Draco, but instead, he'd turned a blind eye on his favorite student and deducted points from Gryffindor. _Teachers like Snape should be dragged out to the street and shot! Hermione thought angrily as thoughts of tonight's episode brought back memories of what had happened to her during Fourth Year when Draco had made her teeth grow three times their normal size. Even then, Snape had punished Harry and Ron, seemingly forgetting that Draco had been involved too!_

As she fumed in anger, she made a silent vow to take revenge on both of them when she was able.

There was a sudden knock on her door. She frowned. Who could it be? Certainly not Harry or Ron or Ginny! They'd left fifteen minutes ago.

"Enter," she called softly. The door opened and Snape came inside.

Snape! What was he doing here? Just the last person she wanted to see!

Snape closed the door behind him and they looked at each other quietly.

"Miss Granger," he said awkwardly, starting to approach her and then stopping, as if he'd changed his mind. Perhaps he'd noticed that she was not properly dressed. Hermione was aware that she was wearing only a flimsy, lilac nightshirt and her bare legs were covered with a comfortable warm blanket. She was in no mood – or appearance – to receive visitors. 

She was, at first, surprised, then confused, wondering why Snape was here. Was he visiting her? Absolutely impossible! Even the idea was ridiculous.

Snape began to pace the room as he showered her with questions about her health, her studies and her family. She answered them with cold civility; she had not forgotten her anger toward him.

She wished he would leave her alone – she had no desire to speak with him now. Or ever. Hell, why didn't he go and talk to Malfoy? At least there he would be welcome.

Despite her annoyance, she noticed that Snape seemed very agitated. Did he want to tell her some thing?

Hermione waited patiently, watching him walk back and forth, wishing that he would either tell her why he was here or get the hell out.

Her prayers were answered.

Snape stopped pacing, took a deep breath and turned to look Hermione in the eye, but looked at the floor instead, hoping to find something to stop the madness that was happening in his heart. Lust. Love, admiration. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to maintain the last shreds of dignity and professionalism he could gather, but to no avail. 

As he opened his eyes, there was a fiery light in them.

"I have struggled in vain," he exclaimed. "It won't do! My feelings refuse to be suppressed. I must let you know how much I…how much I love and admire you!"


	10. Hearts laid open

Hi, here's the next chapter. Sorry about what happened, Prettyflower and I hope you're enjoying your trip. I changed my pen name because Danielle Anderson is the pseudonym I use more often and I didn't want to create any confusion. 

Hermione's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared and blushed, fighting the urge to ask him if she'd heard that right.

Crookshanks, who had been sleeping at her feet, was startled by this fierce declaration and he looked up at Snape with questioning feline eyes.

Hermione looked around swiftly to see if anyone was there.

Snape, on the other hand, didn't seem to care. Presently, he strode toward her, bent down and, grasping her arms, he captured her mouth in a searing, passionate kiss.

Hermione was too shocked to resist. He'd caught her gaping at him and he took the advantage of slipping his skillful tongue into her warm mouth, exploring it.

Her senses were on fire; she felt as if her bones were turning into liquid and her insides melting. If she'd been on her feet during this, she would have collapsed on the floor.

After what seemed like eternity, Snape finally lifted his head and looked into Hermione's eyes, glazed with passion. They were both breathing hard.

Embarrassed, he quickly moved away, turning his back toward her. "I'm sorry," he murmured. She was too shocked to answer. She touched her delicate lips, which were swollen from their kiss.

Snape faced her again and he continued with his earlier declaration. "I hadn't meant to fall in love with you – it just happened. And…I know this is highly inappropriate of me to behave this as your teacher and as an adult. I am perfectly aware that it could never work out between us…I must admit, my feelings for you have developed quite unexpectedly. I had no intention of falling in love with a student, especially a Gryffindor and I realize that there is an age difference between us, not to forget that you are still my student. To be honest, you're not my type and I don't like it when you help Longbottom even when I tell you not to but I'm overlooking that.

"I know you dislike me and nothing could possibly happen between us but…I was hoping…" he didn't need to finish his sentence to let her know what he was hoping. For a brief moment, he sounded so…vulnerable that at first, Hermione felt sorry for him regarding the pain he was about to receive.

But there was something in his entire speech which set her off. All the anger, hate and frustration that had been building up inside her suddenly needed to be released. And Snape was the perfect person to lash out at.

"Professor Snape," she said in a business-like tone. "If things had been different I would have felt gratitude toward you – but I cannot. I have never desired your good opinion and you have certainly made it clear that you have 'fallen in love' with me against your reason, against your will.

"From the moment I was sorted into Gryffindor house, you have been extremely disagreeable. You've taken practically every chance to deduct points from my house, even when there was no good reason. You're a miserable human being bent upon making non-Slytherins as miserable as you are – especially Harry, Ron and me. I never really noticed how biased you are toward your own house until this evening."

Snape paled with anger and embarrassment at her words but she went on:

"You knew damn well that Malfoy always starts a fight between us and him. Yet, you chose to ignore it and you deducted points from Gryffindor, just like the last time something like this happened. You dislike my helping Neville – but he wouldn't need my help if you weren't always bullying him.

"I suppose your hatred for Harry has increased ever since you discovered his lineage. But it's time for you to see him as someone other than his father's son.

"And as for your treatment of me," her anger was rising. "I might as well inquire why you humiliate me every time I try to answer your questions in class. Is it because I'm an insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor? Or is it because you love me – or claim to love me?"

Snape opened his mouth to say something but Hermione ignored him and continued.

"To tell you the truth, sir," she said, "even if you weren't my teacher, you're the last man on earth I would consider dating, you…" she tried to remember what Ron had called the Potions master earlier, "greasy-haired slimeball!"

Snape looked furious and shocked at the same time but he quickly covered his feelings with a mask of cold indifference.

"You have said quite enough, Miss Granger," he said, getting ready to leave. "I understand your feelings toward me. I am sorry to have caused you any distress: it was unintentional." With that, he left awkwardly.

Unable to deal with her current emotions, Hermione leaned against her pillows and cried for half-an-hour.

Nothing in her six years at Hogwarts had prepared her for something like this. That Severus Snape, the greasy-haired, hooked-nosed, menacing, feared Head of Slytherin house should be in love with her! And so much in love that he'd gone out of his way to express his emotions!

"Oh, Crookshanks!" she whispered when her cat came to curl up on her lap. How was she ever going to get any sleep tonight?

Unbeknownst to her, a mysterious figure slipped away into the shadows. 


	11. Big mistake

Thanks for all the reviews. I'm so glad you're enjoying it – here's the next chapter.

Severus Snape was fuming as he headed back to his quarters. Hermione's insults still rang in his ears. She'd called him a miserable human being! He had never been so humiliated in his entire thirty-seven years!

He hardly noticed Madame Pomfrey coming in his direction with some medical equipment.

"Ah, Severus, I…" she began, but he just strode past her, scowling, paying her no attention.

She paused and stared at him, astonished and offended by his rudeness. He had never behaved like this before! _What's his problem?_ she wondered.

Snape felt a bit better when he was in his quarters, but he was still very angry; he couldn't forget what had happened between him and Hermione.

He was fully aware of his bad qualities, but nobody had ever dared to point them out to his face! It was one thing to know what people really thought of you, and quite another to have it confirmed to your face.

_So humiliating!_ He thought, and set about to clear his table in the Potions lab of all the ingredients he'd used to make his little infusion – and his headache was still there.

Snape was all but shaking in anger and mortification and wondered if he should take a shower to cool off. Then he realized that it was too cold to take cold showers. Damn.

And then, he felt something…wearing off.

He paused and frowned, momentarily forgetting about Hermione. Could it be that his potion was wearing off? If so, it was supposed to have cured his migraine, not leave him with it.

Still frowning, he went back to clearing his desk and he was putting the ingredients in their right places, still thinking about his beloved, when he came across a tiny vial. At first, he did not pay it much attention since he thought that it was the lemon juice he'd used earlier. Then, he noticed how clear the liquid was. So unlike lemon juice.

Knitting his eyebrows in confusion, he opened the vial and brought it to his nose. He sniffed it.

And a horrible realization dawned on him.

This wasn't lemon juice.

This was Veritaserum.


	12. The hazards of Veritaserum

Angrily, Snape flung the vial toward the wall before him and watched as it smashed to pieces. The contents left a slight stain, but he was beyond caring.

_How could I have been so darn stupid? How could I have mistaken Veritaserum for lemon juice? The difference between them was obvious for Heaven's sake_! 

Snape slowly took a seat on his couch, letting the realization of what he'd done sink in.

He had no idea that he'd whipped up a courage-stimulating potion when all he wanted was something to get rid of his headache. No wonder he still felt as if someone were pounding on his head with stones!

He now felt a mixture of emotions – all of them negative; rage, frustration, shame and hatred. He was disgusted with himself for having made such an awful mistake. Hell, even Longbottom wouldn't dream of what Snape and done and the boy was terrible at Potions.

As the effects for the potion began to wear off, the memories of what had happened with Hermione washed over him. He tried not to remember, but in vain. He knew he'd made a shameful mistake by telling her that he was in love with her. He'd ruined his reputation and embarrassed himself in every possible way. If this incident reached Dumbledore's ears, he might as well kiss his job goodbye.

If Potter and Weasely found out about this, he was done for.

He had a sudden, over-whelming urge to go and throw himself out of the Astronomy Tower, though he doubted that it would be very helpful to him or Hermione.

Her insults had wounded him most of all. It pained him to finally learn what she really thought of him. No teacher or student had ever spoken to him like that before. What she'd said outraged him as well, but then again, wasn't her audacity one of the important things he loved about her?

How could he have dared to hope that she would ever love him? To her, he was a miserable 'greasy-haired slimeball.' He was very hurt to discover that the woman he loved found him appalling, so appalling that she would not go out with him even if he were the last man on earth, as she'd put it. How could he ever face her after this?

The pain of her rejection was almost unbearable – he wanted to die. If anyone else had thought about him like that, he wouldn't have given a damn. But Hermione…

Snape sighed sadly and buried his face in his hands, on the verge of tears.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and he looked up in surprise. It was about ten p.m. Who would be calling on him now?

He was annoyed. He was in no mood to receive visitors, not tonight.

He was about to tell the person to go away, when the door opened and Remus Lupin stepped inside.

Lupin stood, looking at Snape, who looked back at him; both were unsure of what to do. Then the former quietly approached the latter and sat beside him. They were silent for an awkward moment. Then Lupin spoke:

"That was quite a declaration of love."

Snape looked at him, startled. "You heard?"

Lupin nodded. "Yes, as a matter of fact I did; I heard it all…I was actually helping Madame Pomfrey move some medical supplies. Then she went out and I was about to call her when I saw you talking to Hermione Granger." He paused. "I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you were in love with her, Severus."

Snape sighed and leaned back, too tired to argue. He was silent for a while. Then he spoke:

"I've loved her since that Krum character jilted her. I kept trying to deny it, but the more I tried, the more my love for her grew. I knew she would never be interested in me, and teacher-student relationships are forbidden, but…what can I say? Deep down inside, I suppose I was hoping that…you know…things would work out and she'd love me back."

"So you decided to tell her?"

"Well…no. You see, I was trying to get rid of a bad headache and lemon juice is an ingredient in that solution. However, I used Veritaserum by mistake instead. And when you do that, you create a sort of courage-stimulating potion that induces you to do something that you normally wouldn't do. So that's what happened, Lupin. Are you happy now?"

Lupin appeared to be deep in thought. "So what are you going to do now?"

Snape took a deep breath. "I honestly have no idea how I'll ever face her again. Perhaps I ought to quit. That would probably better for us both, especially her since she hates me so much." He couldn't help sounding so bitter.

Lupin patted Snape's shoulder sympathetically. "Cheer up, Severus," he said. "Maybe you can obliviate her and that way she won't remember."

"That wouldn't be fair to her. Besides, you're supposed to be helping me," growled the Potions Master.

"Oh, it's help that you want, eh? Okay, I realize that you're not going to turn into Mr. Nice Guy just to win her heart. But then again, it would probably be best if you just let her alone. She has her whole life ahead of her and it is wise not to pursue this any further."

"Yes, you're right." But Snape couldn't help wishing that things had turned out different. 

"It's getting late," said Lupin. "Sirius is waiting for me." He glanced at Snape. "Take care, Severus." He was about to leave when Snape said: 

"Remus?"

Lupin turned around, surprised. Snape had never called him by his first name before.

"I'd appreciate it if you kept this a secret," Snape went on.

Lupin couldn't suppress an amused smile. "My lips are sealed."


	13. The morning after

Poor Hermione didn't feel any better when she woke up in the morning – except for the fact that her legs had bones again.

No sooner had she awoken, that thoughts of last night crystallized in her mind. She would've given anything to make what happened last night to go away. She couldn't help feeling sick in her stomach every time she remembered how passionately Snape had told her that he loved her. And his kiss…well, one thing was for sure - the man sure knew how to kiss! She slowly licked her lips, savoring the memory. 

She quickly shook her head to erase the memory. She knew he shouldn't have behaved in such an unprofessional, foolish way - not to mention that she was having trouble believing that he was in love with her. How would she ever face him again?

_Maybe he was just drunk, she thought, but she hadn't smelled any alcohol on his breath last night._

She couldn't help imagining how awkward it would be for the both of them during Potions class, and she suddenly wished that she could drop the whole damn subject.

_Maybe, I should transfer, she mused as she got dressed. _Beauxbatons___ sounds like a good __place; plus there's no Severus Snape there. _

She made up her mind never to raise her hand in class again whenever Snape asked a question. It would save them both a lot of embarrassment. She took her leave from Madame Pomfrey and slowly went down to meet Harry, Ron and Ginny for breakfast. 

_What if Snape's there? How could I handle it? What would he do? Will I be able to pull it off, fool my friends into thinking I'm all better and nothing's wrong? What about Malfoy? What if he says anything? _

She walked into the Great Hall and was greeted by her housemates, Lavender and Parvati, along with some other Gryffindors, who had asked about her health and cursed Malfoy. 

The Great Hall was almost empty this Christmas, as usual, but the students still preferred to sit at their house tables.

The boys' faces lit up as soon as they spotted her.

"Feeling any better, Hermione?" Ron looked concerned. 

"Absolutely," Hermione said, forcing out a smile, hoping that her friends wouldn't see the feelings of anguish on her face because of Snape. Before she came to the Great Hall, she wrestled whether to come to breakfast and pretend nothing was wrong or go back to her Common Room to wait for her first class, all the while remembering Snape's romantic confession and subsequent kiss. But her hunger eventually won out in the end and she came to breakfast. Although she wondered if she now made the right decision. 

She and the Gryffindors took their usual place and began eating. Hermione dared not raise her eyes to the staff table, for she feared that she might lose her appetite if she saw the dreaded Potions Master. However, her curiosity won over and was relieved and at the same time surprised to find that Snape was absent.

"Professor McGonagall heard what Malfoy did to you," Harry's voice broke into her thoughts, "he's got detention for a month!" 

That made Hermione feel a bit better as she glanced at the Slytherin table to find that Draco wasn't looking very happy. 

"Wonderful," was all she said, monotonely.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Harry. "Malfoy apparently thought that he could get away with everything he did to us. Finally, there is justice in the world!"

Hermione couldn't have said it better.

Ron, on the other hand, was stuffing his mouth with food, oblivious to what Harry and Hermione were saying. 

Classes wouldn't start until the first of January, so they decided to pay Hagrid a visit. 

"Heard what Malfoy did ter yeh," he said, getting ready to make tea for them. "That boy finally got what he deserves. Heard Professor McGonagall's goin' to have a talk with Professor Snape."

At this, Hermione looked up. "Professor Snape?" she echoed, trying not to sound alarmed.

"Sure," said Hagrid. "Heard all about it this mornin'. Treacle toffee?"

* * *

Snape sat miserably in his bedroom, beneath the covers of his bed, still in his nightshirt even though it was eleven o'clock in the morning. He wasn't feeling very hungry, but he'd forced himself to have a piece of vanilla cake and a glass of orange juice for nutrition.

The reason he hadn't gone out for breakfast was that he couldn't bear to face Hermione – not after what happened last night.

He wished he hadn't been so careless with his potions however, he'd learned his lesson. He wondered how Hermione was feeling. Was she disgusted? It was certainly possible, considering the way she really felt about him.

His mind kept playing her insults like a broken record and for the hundredth time, he wished that he'd never done what he'd done.

But Merlin's beard, he still loved her, and a part of him was glad that he'd gotten a chance to taste her sweet lips, something he'd only dreamed of doing before last night.

And he could still taste her.

_Why Me? Why do I love her? When she finds me so…repulsive. Maybe Lupin was right. Maybe he should just forget about the whole affair and move on with his life. But how could you just forget about someone with whom you were deeply in love?_

He wished he knew.

He remembered how Buffy had fallen for Spike during the war against Voldemort. He'd had a chat with William the Bloody and knew in his heart that the slayer and the vampire were right for each other.

There was no chance that he would have such good luck.

He had a meeting with Professor McGonagall in the afternoon, a meeting he had no wish to attend, but he really had no choice. _I knew I should have punished Malfoy when I had the chance._

But he did have the chance and he'd blown it, giving more reason for Hermione to hate him. He wished he'd never known how she actually felt about him. _I guess what they say is right, he thought miserably. __Ignorance is bliss._


	14. New Year

There were three people sitting on Hermione's bed. And none of them was Hermione.

It was the 3rd of January and classes were about to begin soon…soon as in about an hour. Ron, Harry and Ginny had not had their breakfast yet; they were waiting for Hermione, who was still in the washroom. The trio sat together in silence, wondering what was taking her so long.

Finally, Ginny spoke up. "Have either of you noticed how weird Hermione's been acting lately?"

Ron and Harry looked up, their eyes revealing that they had not noticed how weird Hermione had been acting lately.

"Well," said Ginny. "Ever since Christmas, she seems to be very uneasy about something but I don't know what."

"Probably the Malfoy incident," said Harry wisely. "It must have been quite a traumatic experience for her. But she did seem happy when I told her that he had detention for a week."

"No," Ginny shook her head. "It's something else."

"Like what?" asked Ron.

"On New Year's Eve, I was walking down the corridor, looking for Snape because Dumbledore wanted to speak with him. And I came upon Hermione and I asked her if she'd seen him. And then she went all uncomfortable, glaring at me and she cried, 'Why do you think I've seen Snape? You know, sometimes, I don't even like Snape!' And she strode past me without another word."

"She must still be upset," Ron said sympathetically. "I mean, Snape did behave like a jerk when he went all easy on Malfoy. He ruined Christmas for her."

Just then, Hermione entered the room, dressed in her robes and school uniform, her hair unruly as usual. She drew her robes protectively around her and flashed them a little smile. She scooped up her books in her bag and looked at them questioningly.

"What are you looking at?" she inquired suspiciously.

"Nothing," they replied in unison.

She kept looking at them, not quite believing their answer. "Hmmm," she said.

They all went down for breakfast.

* * *

Snape stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, taking one good look at his appearance. He was dressed in his usual black, which was his favorite color and he'd left his shirt collar unbuttoned. He tried to look relaxed when in fact he was not.

Today there would be the first Potions class since Christmas. And he was nervous as hell. How would he be able to face Hermione again? He had not seen or talked to her since that fateful night and he honestly had no idea what he would or should do when he would be in her presence again.

He'd eaten his breakfast and lunch in his apartment, refusing to go to the Great Hall for fear of coming upon his beloved again.

He took a deep breath and straightened his shirt collar. "Relax, Severus," he murmured to himself, "you can pull this off."

Or maybe Remus had been right. Maybe he _should_ try doing the Obliviate spell.

If Adrienne had been here, she could have advised him on what to do under these circumstances. But he hadn't spoken to her in almost five years and he hoped she was happy with her girlfriend…wherever she was.

Snape had even considered resigning but thankfully, he'd decided against it. Nothing would happen unless anyone else knew about his little 'indiscretion'. 

It was almost time for the double Potions class now and truthfully, he was looking a bit forward to seeing his beloved again after what seemed to him like centuries, though he wouldn't admit it.

Taking a final look at himself and another deep breath, he straightened up and left for the dungeons, his black robes billowing behind him.


	15. Surprise, surprise

Hermione sat at her desk in the dungeon classroom, making the devil's tattoo on the oak wood. Potions class was about to start in three minutes and she had absolutely no idea on how to handle everything. She was filled with a strong desire to leave right now, while she still had a chance, and never come back.

Nervously, she glanced at Neville, Harry, Ron and the rest, envying them because they were not loved by their Potions Master.

Still, she found it unbelievable that Snape was in love with her. How could something as crazy as that be even remotely possible? Hermione kept wishing that his amorous declaration had been just a bad dream – a nightmare - fat chance!

_Reality bites, she thought bitterly._

She looked up with a start as the door swung open and Snape walked in, his long black cloak dramatically flowing in waves behind him; _comme __d'habitude he seemed to be in a foul mood._

Hermione's heart leapt in her throat as she expected him to look at her right then. Instead, he went behind his desk and glared at them.

"Christmas homework," he snapped, "now."

Hermione, being the Head Girl, was forced to collect all the scrolls and take them to the teacher's desk. She half-expected him to make eye contact with her or pass a comment, but he continued to study the rest of the class.  In fact, he was looking everywhere except in her direction.

"There is going to be a surprise test today," he announced as Hermione returned to her place. "I want you to brew a hair-removing potion to see how much you remember of your lessons before Christmas. And Longbottom, will you please partner with Miss Parkinson? Miss Bulstrode can take your place."

Hermione couldn't help noticing Snape made no mention of her and her eyes widened in astonishment. Snape had separated her from her friends only once during their second year, but she knew there was a different reason in doing so now. She swallowed nervously as Miss Bulstrode came to stand beside her at the cauldron.

"Now you're screwed, Longbottom," Malfoy whispered not too quietly and some of the Slytherins sniggered.

"As will you be, Mr. Malfoy, if you don't behave yourself," Snape replied unexpectedly.

Gryffindors, as well as Slytherins, were shocked. Snape had reprimanded a Slytherin? No one could have been more astonished than Hermione.

As she looked at him questioningly, failing to catch his eye, she noticed another strange thing – Snape had washed his hair! As well as his skin had a rather fine, healthy glow, accenting his mysterious black eyes.

Hermione managed to clear her mind as everyone set to work. She did not want to screw things up; for she was sure that that would give Snape an excuse to talk with her – which she did not want.

Snape walked around, looking at everyone's work and what he said to Neville astonished her most, "You're getting along well, Longbottom and come see me after class."

Neville, surprised at his teacher's praise, flushed and trembled at the same time.

Snape moved to stand behind Hermione and Millicent. Hermione feared that he might speak to her, but to her relief, he spoke only with her partner and that was nothing worth noting. She was grateful when class was over, breathing a sigh of relief. She ran, dropping her favourite quill behind her in her haste.


	16. Wandering thoughts

It wasn't quite what Hermione had expected.

She expected Snape to try to make eye contact with her. She'd anticipated his trying to talk to her.  She thought he would ask to have a word with her after class. 

Instead, he completely ignored her presence in class and had behaved as if she didn't even exist! Even then, Hermione had expected him to at least pass comments or make snide remarks about her. But he had done nothing.

_Is that what's bothering me? She wondered as Professor Flitwick droned on and on about vanquishing charms used against demons. She failed to notice that Harry and Ron, sitting beside her, perplexed because she seemed to daydreaming - and Hermione __never daydreamed in class!_

_I ought to be grateful that Snape didn't continue from where he'd left off, she mused. But the fact that he had completely flouted her today left her feeling… __miffed. Why? __I will never understand that man._

"Miss Granger," a voice broke into her train of thoughts.

Hermione straightened immediately, meeting the worried gaze of her Charms Professor.

"I asked you what charm we should use in warding off faeries," said Flitwick.

She felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Professor, I wasn't listening."

"Tut-tut," Flitwick shook his head. "Of all people, Miss Granger, you were the last person I expected to daydream in class. Two points from Gryffindor."

This left her feeling more upset. As she was about to write down the charm upon his repeating it, she discovered that her quill – her favorite and only quill, for the time being at least, was lost. Thankfully, the extra quill from Ron prevented her from wasting time on pondering over it.

However, as soon as class was over, she frantically searched through her bag and pockets. Where was her quill?

"Maybe you dropped it on your way out of Potions class," Ron suggested helpfully. "I mean, you did leave in a hurry." He looked at Harry, as if seeking some sort of reassurance. Harry stepped forward, cleared his throat and put his hand on her arm.

"Hermione," he began gently. "For some time now, we've noticed how agitated you seem recently – well, at least, after Christmas. We're your best friends, we want to help you. If you would tell us what's wrong…" Both boys seemed desperate to help her.

Hermione was moved by this, but she couldn't risk telling her friends the truth. As she opened her mouth to speak, Ron exclaimed, "What is it? Is it Malfoy? Do you want us to hex him to something?"

Despite herself, she managed a small smile. "No, it's nothing like that," she confessed. 

"It's just the same old story – Viktor. Christmas just reminded me of him. That's all."

She hated lying to her best friends, but what else could she say to them? 'Guess what? Snape professed his undying love for me on Christmas night and now he won't even speak to me?'

No, a lie was better. She hoped she'd be able to tell them the truth - when the time was right.

"I'll meet you at the common room later," she said. "I want to see if my quill is still in the dungeon."

But to her dismay, it was not.

*    *    *

Snape hadn't expected this.

He was sitting in his office now, behind his desk. He had been checking the assignments but when he came upon Hermione's homework, he felt an urge to take her quill out of her pocket and look at it.

It was just a simple feather quill, but because it belonged to Hermione, it meant so much more to Snape. This was something Hermione had touched. And now, he was holding it in his hands.

Snape should have told Longbottom to return it to her after one of Snape's recently arranged private tutor lessons with Longbottom in the art of potions making. Helping Longbottom made Snape feel a bit…happy.  Hermione had been right about some things. He realized that now.

Professor Flitwick had told Snape about Hermione's conduct during Charms class today and the old man had wondered why Miss Granger had been inattentive for the first time in seven years.

Snape knew, but he wasn't telling.

_I should have someone return this to her, he thought. He'd seen her looking at him during Potions class and in the Great Hall. He hadn't wanted to ignore her, but couldn't help himself._

He felt guilty for having caused her distress, but consoled himself with the fact that he hadn't done it on purpose. 

He hadn't meant to ignore Hermione the whole day, but how else could he have handled it? It was best for them not to have any unnecessary contact.

Remus had checked in on him early in the evening and Snape did not want to disappoint the werewolf.  Snape felt that Remus trusted him to do the right thing.

That reminded him of his mother.

_Mom trusted me to do the right thing when I married Adrienne, he thought bitterly. __Look where that got me._

He put away the quill with a sigh and went back to checking the assignments.


	17. An astonishing piece of news

A month passed without anyone really noticing it. It was February and the castle groups were covered in less snow and the Quidditch players were able to practice the game again. There was a strong scent in the air, the scent that is ever present in early spring. The snow had begun to melt. Soon flowers would be blooming, birds singing.

However, things hadn't become any easier for Snape or Hermione. The two still kept avoiding each other as much as possible and it took a hell lot of willpower for the both of them to stay in Potions class together. Hermione's friends were still left in the dark about the matter with Snape and that was the way she liked it.

One afternoon, on the tenth day of February, during Potions class, Colin Creevey came with a scroll in his hand. Snape looked at the boy like he was going to kill him.

"What's this?" he asked suspiciously. He did not like it when his classes were interrupted. 

"A notice from the headmaster," came the reply, "all teachers are supposed to read it out loud." 

Snape took the scroll, opened it and read it. And was promptly bewildered. He slowly got to his feet and read out the notice in a loud, clear voice: "The Valentine's Day Ball will be held on the 14th of February at seven o'clock in the evening and will last up till midnight." 

All students were astonished. They had never had a Vanlentine's Day Ball. The whole classroom filled up with the students' murmurs and whispers. But everyone shut up when Snape yelled, "Silence!" Colin Creevey left the classroom and Snape looked at all of them with an unreadable expression in his eyes. Hermione held her breath, expecting him to make some sort of scathing remark. But he said nothing and went back to his desk. 

"Carry on," he told them. "We don't have all day."

* * * 

That evening, the Gryffindor common room was packed with students talking about the ball. Hermione sat quietly in the corner, doing her Arithmancy homework, feeling so alone in the crowded room. She was actually pretending to do her homework; how could anyone concentrate in all this noise?

"Hermione," Ginny's voice broke into her thoughts. She looked up to find the younger girl sitting on Harry's lap near the fire. There was a pang of pain in her heart, reminding her of Viktor.

Hermione smiled and tried to look interested. "Who are you going with?" It was the sort of question Parvati or Lavender was likely to ask.

"Nobody's asked me," she answered truthfully, "and even if they did, I don't think I would go."

"Maybe Ron will ask you," said Harry. He looked around. "Speaking of Ron, where is he?"

They all turned their heads to find Ron standing the window, flirting with Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbot, who seemed very impressed. It was hard to say if she was listening to Ron or busy looking at his face.

Harry looked very pessimistic after that. But Ginny was simply amused. "My brother has caught the eye of a damsel of the Badger," she remarked. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I don't think Hermione's going to get a date."

Hermione hadn't heard that and she couldn't care less about the ball. Besides, there was nobody she would have liked to go with. She didn't think that she could stand being in the Great Hall alone while other people enjoyed themselves with their admirers. And Snape would definitely be there, ruining everyone's evening by going to the garden to blast bushes with his wand. She shuddered with horror at the thought of Ron and Hannah in the bushes. Additionally, she didn't want to see his reaction if he saw her at the ball with someone else. It was not important, but she decided it was better for her not to attend the ball.

When Parvati and Lavender heard this later that evening, they were shocked.

"You must come with us!" Exclaimed Lavender. "We don't want you to be alone."

"Don't worry, we'll find a date for you," Parvati said.

"Oh, it's not about that," said Hermione, "it's just that...well, I'd rather be alone and I have work to do."

"No-one wants to be alone on Valentine's Day," Parvati folded her arms across her chest. 

"Please."

"Please," said Lavender.

And Hermione just had to say yes.


	18. The Valentine's Day Ball

Hermione stood before the mirror in her room, examining her reflection. She was already dressed for the Valentine's Day Ball, which had come sooner than she'd expected. She was wearing a plain black satin dress, which her father had sent her from London. Lavender had done her hair and her brown locks now seemed tamer than usual. She was reminded of how excited she had been at the Yule Ball, when Viktor has asked her to dance. She was alone this time, since no one had asked her to the dance and she wasn't quite sure on how she would spend her time there. Yet, she knew Harry and Ron would ask her to dance – which was good enough.

Hermione _had_ to admit that her make-up looked quite elegant. Parvati had wisely used lovely shades of frosted pinks and mauves, which suited her perfectly and went well with her dress. She had never really learned how to use make-up, but upon examining her friend's handicraft, she felt the desire to know to apply make-up skillfully. On her feet, she wore black platform heels because she found them the easiest to walk in. She planned to stay at the party for a few hours and then, she would return to her room so that she could finish her Transfiguration essay.

At that moment, Ginny came in, wearing a beautiful red gown that went well with her hair. She was holding a red rose and a card in her hand and there was a happy smile on her face as she looked at Hermione.

"Oh, hello," said she.

"Did Harry give you those?" Hermione asked, looking interested.

"Oh, yes." Ginny showed her the card. On the front cover, there was a magical picture of a heart beating and roses blooming. It was a lovely card in her opinion and she knew that it was from Harry's heart. Hermione smiled when she saw Ginny blushing slightly and she said, "It's lovely."

"I know," said Ginny. "Well, hurry up. Harry's waiting for us downstairs."

As the girls went downstairs together, Hermione asked, "Where's Ron? I haven't seen him all day?"

Ginny shrugged. "Dunno. He said something to Harry about showing up at the dance to meet with Hannah. That's all I know."

Hermione suddenly felt nervous. Would Snape be there?

Well, what if he was? Logically (and Hermione was a very logical person), it shouldn't bother her. Snape's feelings were his problem not hers. As an adult, he should deal with his own problems.

Harry was waiting beside the staircase, dressed in a tuxedo, looking as handsome as ever. He smiled graciously at the two of them. "Good evening," he said. "May I say how lovely you two look?" He offered one arm to Ginny and the other to Hermione. Together they went to the Great Hall.

Everything was perfect. The house tables and chairs were gone from the Great Hall, the whole room being lit with candles and moonlight, which shone down from the enchanted ceiling. Hermione saw that there were smaller lantern-lit tables to sit and talk on the sides of the room. Not very far away, she could see the house-elves bringing in a series of rich, warming stews, soups and soft drinks, along with roast chicken and beef to already food laden tables. Nobody was wearing dress robes; everyone was dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos. 

In the distance, she saw Malfoy talking with his faithful disciples Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson. If Crabbe and Goyle had found dates, she did not know about it.

"Oh, there you are!" Ron rushed to them and as he spoke, they found that his breath smelled of shrimp and punch. "I've been waiting for you."

"Where's your date?" asked Ginny. "Or you don't have one."

"Of course I do!" said Ron indignantly, "It's just that she hasn't arrived yet."

There was soft music playing in the background and Hermione looked up to find Dumbledore talking with a tall, blonde woman dressed in a soft pink gown with red hearts printed all of it. The woman seemed familiar, but Hermione couldn't recognize her at first. When she looked carefully, she realized who it was.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "That's Sophie B. Hawkins!"

The other three looked at the direction she was pointing at and smiled. 

"I had no idea she was a witch!" said Hermione.

"Many of them are," said Harry. He was about to give a few examples when Ron said, "There's Hannah." He fixed his hair, straightened up and left them to join his date, who was dressed in an elegant teal blue gown. 

Ginny looked amused. "I wonder if he has a Valentine's card for her," she remarked.

"I'm sure he doesn't," said Harry with a smirk. Then they saw Ron giving Hannah a card.

"I stand corrected," said Harry.

Hermione saw Snape standing in a dark corner, scowling at everyone. Her heart jumped upon seeing him. Then she took a deep breath. Why should she not have some fun?


	19. Damn, I wish I was your lover

A/N: I'm sorry that it took me a year to update this fic, some crap's being going on in my life. My thanks to all the reviewers and betas and God willing, I will finish this fic soon. Also, this fic was begun before the release of the fifth HP book. So don't be surprised if you see Sirius alive here. Enjoy :).

Disclaimer: The usual and Sophie B. Hawkins doesn't belong to me.

Snape was livid. He was standing in the corner of the Great Hall, downing glass after glass of punch. _Damn,_ he thought to himself. _If only they would serve some alcohol. Keep going like this, Severus, and you will soon need to pay the toilet a visit._

Hermione was dancing with a fourth-year Hufflepuff whose name Snape had forgotten in his rage. He couldn't help but feel jealous. Of course he didn't have a right to be, he told himself. He wasn't Hermione's boyfriend or husband. Who was he to envy her dancing partners?

But he couldn't help noticing the way that boy took every chance to touch Hermione in certain places. And what was worse, she didn't even seem to mind! Everytime the boy stroked her back or patted her butt, she just flashed him a warm smile, as if she were enjoying all this attention.

Sophie B. Hawkins had sang many of her greatest numbers during this time and he had to admit, the woman was quite talented. Some of his colleagues had asked him to dance during the past two hours but he had refused them point-blank. The only woman he wanted to dance with was Hermione, and all this time, she had been in the arms of other men.

Snape wanted to wring the young Hufflepuff's neck but instead, he chose to look at the other couples. Many of the young people, he knew, were out in the gardens, or near the lake, kissing passionately. He could see Remus and Sirius talking animatedly in a shadowed corner. It didn't take him long to realize that he was the only one in the ball who was left...alone. 

__

Sweet misery, he thought to himself. Sophie was starting a new song right now; he was going to leave but he found the opening quite appealing. So he decided to stay and listen to what she had to sing now.

In a manner of speaking, he was delighted to find that she was singing one of her more familiar songs. Yes, he knew this one – _Damn...I wish I was your lover._ He remembered seeing the video in a London pub on the day his divorce from Adrienne was finalized. He couldn't help feeling glad that Miss Hawkins was..._ahem_...wearing more clothes now.

And he listened to her sing as the couples continued to dance. She was wearing a flimsy white dress and seductively moving her body to the music as she began to sing:

"That old dog has chained you up alright

Give you everything you need 

To live inside a twisted cage 

Sleep beside an empty rage 

I had a dream I was your hero."

Snape sunk even deeper into the shadows. Now this was something he hadn't seen coming. Finally, there was one song in the evening that was about Hermione and him. But that didn't mean that he was satisfied. He downed another glass of punch and sighed. He thought about how Viktor had hurt Hermione. She was actually too wounded to try and look for love. Thus he would never have a chance with her. He wished he could, though. He would show her that he was all that she needed. God willing, one day, he'd help her break free from these bitter chains.

"Damn I wish I was your lover 

I'll rock you till the daylight comes 

Make sure you are smiling and warm 

I am everything 

Tonight I'll be your mother 

I'll do such things to ease your pain 

Free your mind and you won't feel ashamed."

Snape knew he would take good care of Hermione if she were his woman. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't have handled her half as roughly as that Hufflepuff kid. He would never let any hard come to her as long as he lived. And the next few lines made him think of his desire to make love to Hermione.

"Open up, gonna get inside,

Fill you up, gonna make you cry."

Hermione had in the meantime slipped into the arms of Ron and Sophie B. Hawkins was moving more seductively than ever. Snape frowned; he knew that Ron used to have a thing for Hermione but since the boy had another date tonight, perhaps he'd finally decided that she was way out of his league and he'd be better off with another woman...like Hannah Abbot.

__

Hannah Abbot? How the hell did Ron divert his attention to her? Snape wondered. But he was too depressed to think about Weasley's love life, since he himself had none. 

"This monkey can't stand to see you black and blue 

Give you something sweet each time you 

Come inside my jungle book 

What, is it just too good? 

Don't say you'll stay 

'Cause then you go away."

Only Snape noticed that although the young lady seemed to be having fun at the ball, her eyes reflected a deep pain. No doubt she was thinking of that Krum tonight. He couldn't stand to see her grieve any longer about such a worthless guy. And what had she seen in Krum anyway? The boy was just a Quidditch player...hardly her type. He'd always figured that she would go for a man who was a scholar or a teacher...like him.

__

Oh, but she hates you, Severus! She made that clear, did she not? You are so pathetic to be still pining for her.

He guessed that she was better off with him – she deserved someone fresh, someone who hadn't been a Deatheater in a former lifetime. But if she would only give him a chance...

"Damn I wish I was your lover 

I'll rock you till the daylight comes 

Make sure you are smiling and warm I am everything 

Tonight I'll be your mother I will 

Do such things to ease your pain 

Free your mind and you won't feel ashamed."

Ah, there came the chorus and another glass of punch...well, he supposed that this was better than getting drunk.

"Shucks for me there is no other 

You're the only shoe that fits 

I can't imagine I'll grow out of it 

Damn I wish I was your lover."

Hermione was the only woman for Snape and he knew it in his bones. He would never, ever stop loving her, despite the fact that they could never be together.

"If I was your girl believe me 

I'd turn on the Rolling Stones 

We could groove along and feel much better 

I could do it forever and ever 

Give me an hour to kiss you 

Walk through heaven's door I'm sure 

We don't need no doctor to feel much better 

Let me in 

Forever and ever and ever and ever."

Snape turned away from Sophie Hawkins, blushing. Wasn't there a law against dancing like that in public? He'd never really been a Rolling Stones fan and he wasn't too sure that Hermione liked them either. But he knew for sure that given the opportunity, he would heal all the pain in her...and they wouldn't need anyone from St. Mungo. _Let me in!_

"I sat on the mountainside with peace of mind 

I lay by the ocean making love to her with visions clear 

Walked for days with no one near 

And I return as chained and bound to you."

He remembered when he'd first realized his love for Hermione. He'd waved it off as some kind of infatuation because after all, he'd been working with her for quite some time during the way and sometimes, hormones can go out of control. But he'd spend some time alone afterwards and the feelings didn't leave. He'd returned to Hogwarts, still in love with Hermione.

The song was ending now, and so was the party. Sophie sang the chorus once more and curtseyed graciously as everyone clapped at her performance. Even Snape managed a little smile...and he didn't smile very often. He cast his gaze on the dancefloor again and saw his lady love smiling at her friends. He knew that she was worn out from all her dancing and she wanted to go out sleep now. _Well, then, good night, Hermione,_ he thought and slipped out of the room.


	20. After the ball

A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed, as well my beta Marjorie. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Hermione sat near the window that night, her bushy brown locks flying in the cool breeze that poured into the room. Lavender, Parvati and Ginny were all huddled up in her bed, munching on all the chocolate they had received from their dates. It was getting late but she thought that it was fun to have some company at this time of the night. Also they could afford to stay up late as there would be no classes tomorrow.

She could hear them giggling and talking about their boyfriends, discussing what they did after the dance was over. She wasn't usually in the mood for this type of gossip but she was contented tonight, so she didn't really mind listening to them. She had had a lot of fun at the dance and she was even starting to forget about Viktor. _Great, _she thought. _I'm finally able to move on with my life._

Lavender's voice broke into her thoughts. "Hey, Hermione," she swallowed some chocolate and tossed her one, too. "Why don't you come and join us here?"

"Um, no, thanks, I'm all right here," Hermione smiled as she unwrapped the chocolate.

"Is it my imagination or was Snape staring at you all evening?" Parvati said suddenly.

At this, Hermione froze. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, I was dancing with Edward and all the while, I saw Snape in the corner, downing punch after punch, staring...or should I say, glaring at you."

"Well, that's strange," frowned Ginny. "Did you do anything to piss him off recently?"

Hermione snorted. "No!" she exclaimed and all of a sudden her good mood was gone. She muttered under her breath, "I wish he'd leave me alone!"

To her dismay, the other girls heard her and they were interested. 

"What's that, Hermione?" Lavender quirked an eyebrow. "You wish he'd leave you alone?"

"Oh, that was nothing!" Hermione began to blush.

"You're blushing, Hermione," Ginny pointed out the obvious. "Come one, tell us what happened. Do you...have a crush on Snape?" She meant it as a joke and the others made a face and started laughing. "Ew! Snape?"

Hermione chuckled and said, "No, I assure you, that's not the case."

"Then what is it?" Parvati pressed.

"It's nothing! Listen, you all know what a grudge Snape has against Gryffindors and how he can't stand to watch his students having fun...especially when he himself had no one to dance with."

"Hmm, that's possible," said Ginny and Hermione was relieved that the other girls believed her. And after all, she hadn't been lying, had she? She changed the subject then. "So tell us about the things you girls did after the dance," she smiled.

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Weren't you listening? We've been talking about that for the last fifteen minutes. Why don't you just tell us about what you did?"

That was all right. "Well, I danced with Harry and Ron," said Hermione. "And then for the last two dances, I was with Tristan Condor from Hufflepuff."

"Oh, yes!" Lavender clasped her hands together. "I did see the two of you having fun together. So what else did you do?"

"Well, that's about it. I had some dinner and Tristan walked me to the Gryffindor dorm." Hermione smiled. "He's such a gentleman. I think we might be going to Hogsmead together on the weekend."

"You go, girl!" Ginny laughed.

Hermione grinned again. She'd finally met another man she liked. And she wouldn't let Viktor or Snape ruin it.


End file.
